Textile drafting apparatus



Aug. 23, 1966 p ppm, JR" ET AL 3,267,526

TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15. 1962 REGINALD F. PIPPIN JR.

WILLIAM P. WARTHEN INVENTORS United States Patent 3,267,526 TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS Reginald F. Pippin, Jr., and William P. Warthen, Spartanhurg, S.C., assignors to Deering Miiiiken Research Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 15, 1962. Ser. No. 230,437 Claims. (Cl. 19-245) This invention relates to textile handling apparatus, and more particularly to a textile fiber drafting arrangement of the type utilizing a fiber control apron or aprons, and in which the aprons are cleaned and guided along their interior surface.

A substantial problem exists in the conventional roll and apron drafting arrangements in that lint and other foreign matter tends to migrate into and accumulate within the zone between the apron-carrying roll or rolls and the tensor element spaced from the apron-carrying roll and about which the apron is guided to form a small radius nose adjacent the next succeeding pair of drafting rolls. A further problem lies in the bulging apart or separating of the aprons along their interfacing fiber control runs in the zone between the apron-carrying rolls and the tensor elements spaced therefrom. It is an object and feature of the present invention to aid in the solution of these problems.

Still other features and attendant advantages will be come apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of several illustrative physical embodiments constructed according thereto, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a drafting arrangement incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section view of the apron guiding and cleaning cradle similar to that of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view in perspective of the apron guiding and cleaning cradle arrangement of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a section view taken along a line similar to that of FIGURE 2 of a modification according to the invention.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, the invention is illustrated with respect to a conventional set of three pairs of drafing rolls 11, 13, 15, and 17 and 19, 21, the middle pair of drafting rolls 15, 17 carrying respective aprons 23 and 25 thereabout which serve to convey and control the fiber stock (not shown) passing between the interfacing fiber control runs 23a, 25a, thereof.

According to the illustrative embodiment of FIGURES 1-4 the fiber control aprons 23 and 25 are controlled along their interfacing fiber control runs 230, 25a and return runs through the medium of apron cleaning and guiding elements 33 and 35 forming a snap-together apron guiding and cleaning cradle assembly 31.

Each of the elements 33 and 35 are formed with two converging apron guiding and cleaning surfaces 33a, 33b, 35a, 35b terminating in reduced radius nose portions 33c, 35c. At the end opposite the nose portions 330, 35c the elements 33 and 35 have concave surfaces which are spaced from their respective rolls 15 and 17, this being effected by the provision of side load-bearing shoulders 33g, 33g and 35g, 35g respectively, which ride on the conventional reduced diameter neck portions of the respective rolls 15, 17. In addition, at least one of these load-bearing shoulders 33g, 33g and 35g, 35g serves as a relatively close fitting lateral stabilizing guide to maintain the cradle assembly in the desired position on the rolls, while the load-bearingshoulders on the other element may have substantial lateral tolerance clearance to accommodate small nonalignment of the apron carrying surfaces of the rolls 15 and 17. Through this arrangement one is enabled to guide and clean the interior surfaces of the aprons while maintaining no load-bearing contact of the apron guiding and cleaning elements 33 and 35 with the conventionally knurled or otherwise serrated apron carrying surfaces of the rolls 15 and 17. In this connection it will be noted that for purposes of simplicity of illustration only roll 15 is illustrated with a knurled surface thereon, it being appreciated that roll 17 is also conventionally provided with a knurled or otherwise serrated apron-carrying surface.

In order to minimize the entry of lint and other foreign matter into the zone within the aprons 23 and 25 the cross-sectional configuration of the elements 33 and 35 as shown in FIGURE 2 is such as to occupy substantially all of the zone between the respective roll 15, 17 and the nose ends of the aprons, with the exception of the preferably relatively narrow curved opening between the surfaces 33f, 35 and respective rolls 15, 17. It will also be appreciated that it is necessary to permit a small clearance space to exist between the apron fiber control runs 23a, 25a and their respective apron guiding and cleaning surfaces 33a, 35a in the non-running condition as shown, in order to accommodate the flow of fibers between the fiber control runs of aprons. For this purpose a clearance between the surfaces 33a and 35a at the forward end in excess of the combined thickness of the aprons by an amount of from approximately .015" to .040" or so is satisfactory, dependent upon the degree of drafting being effected between the rolls 15, 17 and 19, 21 and the final count of the yarn being formed. The illustrative embodiment is shown in the drawings without the fiber stock passing between the rolls, and a clearance is thus shown between the fiber control runs of the aprons and their respective apron guiding surfaces 33a, 350. It will be appreciated that during running of the fiber stock through the drafting arrangement the apron will be moved out in the zone of the fiber stock path to engage with a substantial portion of the guiding and cleaning surfaces 33a, 35a although slight clearance may still be maintained in this zone, if desired. In all cases it is also desirable that the entrance portion of the throat formed between the surfaces 33a and 35a be sufficiently large as to easily accommodate the much larger thickness of roving or other fiber stock as it passes directly from the nip zone between the rolls 15 and 17.

The two apron guiding and cleaning elements 33 and 35 are removably secured together in the illustrative embodiment through the medium of side ears 38 33jj on the element 33 and which have socket recesses 33k formed on the inner Walls thereof which engage with corresponding complementary raised detents 35k formed on the opposite respectively facing side walls of the cleaning and guiding element 35. As an aid to positioning the two elements with respect to one another shoulders 33p and 35p may be formed on the interfacing walls of the ears 33 331'] and the side walls of the element 3-5. While these shoulders 33;), 3 512 are useful in initial establishment of the position of the two elements 33, 3'5 with respect to one another it is normally desirable to provide a loose fit between these shoulders and to effect final and full positioning of the elements 33 and 35 with respect to one another by the engagement of the concave load-bearing surface 33g, 33g and 35g, 35g with their respective rolls 15 and '17.

As a further aid to the prevention of entry of lint and other foreign matter into the interior zone of the aprons it will be noted that the side ears 33 33jj extend down about the opposite sides of the fiber control runs of the aprons along substantially the full length of such runs and the concave roll engaging load-bearing surfaces 33g, 33g and 35g, 35g cover the opening formed between the concave surfaces 36-7, 35f and rolls 15, 17, leaving very little if any exposed open surface for lint to migrate into the zone within the aprons. While it is normally desirable to have the opening between the surfaces 33 35f and the rolls 15, 1'7 relatively small, it will be appreciated that with the formation of the side load-bearing shoulders 33g, 33g and 35g, 35g so as to encompass the rolls in such a manner as to substantially cover this open interior Zone it is feasible to have such zone of substantially larger size than shown in the illustrative embodiment, in which instances the surfaces 33f, 35 may assume a concave configuration or such other configuration as may be desired.

While it is feasible to form a roll 15 with the rollcarrying periphery only slightly raised above the side neck portions, or with a straight constant diameter cylindrical surface and thus enable ease of insertion of the apron guiding and cleaning element 33 and associated apron 23 onto the roll 15, while utilizing a unitary construction for the apron guiding and cleaning element 33, it is in most cases conventional practice to provide the top roll 15 with a fairly substantial difference in diameter between the side neck portion and the raised apron-carrying portions of the roll. As an aid to facilitating the ease of assembly of the top element 3 3 and its apron 23 on the roll 15 in such instances, as well as in other instances if desired, the element 33 may be formed in two laterally split parts, by splitting such along a longitudinal line either in the mid section (not shown) or at one of the side ears 33jj as shown in FIGURE 4. Thus, as shown in this embodiment the side portion of the element 33 forming the side ear 3*3jj and concave load-bearing surface 33g is formed as a removable plate which is secured to the side wall of the main body portion of the element 33 as through the medium of split pins 33s and corresponding complementary socket openings 33!. The assembly of these elements and the apron 23 on the roll 15 will be readily understood, it merely being necessary to slide the tapered apron guiding surface portion of the main body between the roll and the spaced free portion of the apron and then to snap the side ear portion 3'3jj onto the main body portion to achieve the assembled configurations as shown in FIG- URE 1.

In FIGURE 5 there is shown an alternative modification according to the invention, in which a cradle as shown in FIGURES l-4 with side ears corresponding to the side ears 33 and 33jj and load-bearing shoulders 33g, 35g is provided similarly to the first described embodiment. However, in this embodiment the concave roll facing surfaces 1331 and 135 are formed with flexible leading and trailing feathered edges 13'3t, 133i and 1351?, 135! which engage with the apron-carrying surface of the respective rolls and 17. In order to permit these flexible trailing and leading edges 133t, 1331, 1351?, 1351 to function in the most advantageous manner it is necessary that such trailing and leading edges be separated from the side loadbearing shoulders corresponding to shoulders 33g, g and this may be effected by merely severing the feathered edges from the shoulders at short distance at the zone adjacent the shoulders 35g, 35g. Upon assembly of the embodiment of FIGURE 5 the flexible trailing and leading edges 1331?, 135! will flex to engage lightly with the respective roll surfaces and by a sutficient amount to enable the main load bearing shoulders 33g, 33g, 35g, 35g to engage with the reduced diameter side neck portions of the rolls 15 and 17 respectively. Thus, in this embodiment the load-bearing shoulders corresponding to shoulders 33g, 35g will assume the major load-bearing burden while the flexible edges 133t, 13-51 will assume only a small load and will serve to clean the roll surface during rotation of the rolls 15 and 17.

While the invention has been described with respect to two illustrative physical embodiments thereof it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, a hybrid of the embodiments of FIGURES l-4 and 5 might be employed, as by having a roll cleaning and loadbearing apron guiding and cleaning upper element, particularly with a smooth surfaced top middle roll, and a bottom element with load-bearing shoulders as in the first illustrated embodiment, particularly when employing a knurled or other serrated surface bottom middle roll. Accordingly, the invention is to be understood as not limited by these illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A drafting assembly for textile fibers comprising a pair of drafting rolls each having an annular aproncarrying surface and further annular surfaces beyond each side of the respective apron-carrying surface, said further annular surfaces on at least one of said rolls are of a reduced diameter relative to the annular apronoarrying surface of said one roll and form neck portions, an endless apron disposed about the annular aproncarrying surface on each of said rolls, and an apronguiding-and-cleaning device including two separable apron-guiding elements, each of said apron-guiding elements having an apron-guiding portion with two apronguiding-and-cleaning surfaces converging in a direction extending away from its respective roll and culminating in a convex nose end portion for apron reversal, each of said apron guiding elements having two arcuate surfaces disposed on respectively opposite lateral sides of and extending beyond the side edges of said aprons, each of said arcuate surfaces being complementary to and riding in radial load-bearing relation on the annular periphery of said further annular surfaces of said rolls, one of said apron-guiding elements having side shoulders thereon forming said arcuate surfaces and engaging in load-bearing and side-stabilizing relation on said neck portions and having an intermediate recessed section between said shoulders, said intermediate recessed section engaging said apron-carrying surface of said one roll in roll-cleaning relation to aid in maintaining said roll clean.

2. A drafting assembbly for textile fibers comprising a pair of drafting rolls each having an annular aproncarrying surface and further annular surfaces beyond each side of the respective apron-carrying surface, an endless apron disposed about the annular apron-carrying surface on each of said rolls, and an apron-guiding-andcleaning device including two separable apron-guiding elements, each of said apron-guiding elements having an apron-guiding portion with two apron-guiding-and-cleaning surfaces converging in a direction extending away from its respective roll and culminating in a convex nose end portion for apron reversal, each of said apron guiding elements having two arcuvate surfaces disposed on respectively opposite lateral sides of and extending beyond the side edges of said aprons, each of said arcuate surfaces being complementary to and riding in radial load-bearing relation on the annular periphery of said further annular surfaces of said rolls, one of said apron-guiding elements having side ears thereon enveloping a portion of the lateral sides of the other of said apron-guiding elements, and snap-apart complementary detent and socket connection means between said ears and the respectively facing side surfaces of said other element to connect said elements together.

3. For use in a drafting assembly having an endless fiber control apron .and a rotatable roll disposed within said apron, the improvement comprising a nonrotatable apron-guiding and lint accumulation-preventive element engageable in guide and cleaning relation with the interior surface of said apron along a substantial length thereof, said element having two concave spaced apart-roll-engaging radial-load-bearing surfaces engageable with said roll in radial-load-bearing relation and in zones laterally beyond the side edges of said apron, said element also having a recessed zone formed between said two spaced apart radial-load-bearing surfaces, said recessed zone having a surface portion thereof engaging the periphery of 5 said roll in roll-cleaning and partial load-bearing relation between said two spaced apart radial-load-bearing surfaces.

4. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said roll-cleaning portion of said recessed zone is a flexible edge section.

5. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein said recessed zone includes a concave surface having two opposite flexible roll-engaging feathered edges forming said roll-cleaning portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,132,299 10/1938 Jackson 19253 2,179,078 11/1939 Allwood 19-256 2,206,432 7/ 1940 Schofield 19-255 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,114 12/ 1940 Great Britain. 702,404 1/ 1954 Great Britain. 851,989 10/ 1960 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD W. PARKER, RUSSELL C. MADER,

. Examiners.

D. NEWTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DRAFTING ASSEMBLY FOR TEXTILE FIBERS COMPRISING A PAIR OF DRAFTING ROLLS EACH HAVING AN ANNULAR APRONCARRYING SURFACE AND FURTHER ANNULAR SURFACES BEYOND EACH SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE APRON-CARRYING SURFACE, SAID FURTHER ANNULAR SURFACES ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLS ARE OF A REDUCED DIAMETER RELATIIVE TO THE ANNULAR APRONCARRYING SURFACE OF SAID ONE ROLL AND FORM NECK PORTIONS, AN ENDLESS APRON DISPOSED ABOUT THE ANNULAR APRONCARRYING SURFACE ON EACH OF SAID ROLLS, AND AN APRONGUIDING-AND-CLEANING DEVICE INCLUDING TWO SEPARABLE APRON-GUIDING ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID APRON-GUIDING ELEMENTS HAVING AN APRON-GUIDING PORTION WITH TWO APRONGUIDING-AND-CLEANING SURFACE CONVERGING IN A DIRECTION EXTENDING AWAY FROM ITS RESPECTIVE ROLL AND CULMINATING IN A CONVEX NOSE END PORTION FOR APRON REVERSAL, EACH OF SAID APRON GUIDING ELEMENTS HAVING TWO ARCUATE SURFACES DISPOSED ON RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE LATERAL SIDES OF AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID APRONS, EACH OF SAID ARCUATE SURFACES BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO THE RIDNG IN RADIAL LOAD-BEARING RELATION ON THE ANNULAR PERIPHERY SHOULDERS, SAID INTERMEDIATE RECESSED SECTION ENGAGING APRON-GUIDING ELEMENTS HAVNG SIDE SHOULDERS THEREON FORMING SAID ARCUATE SURFACES AND ENGAGING IN LOAD-BEARING AND SIDE-STABILIZING RELATION ON SAID NECK PORTIONS AND HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE RECESSED SECTION BETWEEN SAID SHOULDERS, SAID INTERMEDIATE RECESSED SECTION ENGAGING SAID APRON-CARRYING SURFACE OF SAID ONE ROLL IN ROLL-CLEANING RELATION TO SAID IN MAINTAINING SAID ROLL CLEAN. 